My Sewing Space

I do love a nice collared shirt, so the shirtdress seems like a natural extension of that. There are so many good shirtdress patterns available right now, it was a little difficult to choose. The one I used here is Simplicity 8014 , View D. I really liked the denim version on the envelope, but I wanted the option of wearing this to work, so no denim for me. I had considered trying this in silk, but shortly before I went fabric shopping I messed up this silk top with some sort of oil stain. My attempts at treating it only seemed to make it worse. Only low-maintenance laundry items for me, I guess. This fabric is polyester. I wouldn't say it was a joy to work with, but it wasn't bad. After making a muslin, I was pretty pleased with the fit. I removed 1.5" in width from the back - only the dress piece, not the yoke. I also added 2" in length to the skirt. The pattern has gathers at CB, but I changed that to a pleat. I also omitted the pockets. In the final ...

This dress was a very quick project, made shortly after my new sewing room was unpacked. I had this project in my mind for awhile, but the need for kids' clothes and then the moving project meant that it got pushed to the bottom of the list. This was a wardrobe-driven project, meaning neither the fabric nor the pattern are new or compelling, but I knew I would appreciate having it in my closet. This is the third time I've used this pattern, Simplicity 2406 (first here , second here ). For this version, I used a drapey knit. I modified the sleeves to be longer and have slightly more of a slit sleeve than a cut out shape. The pattern instructions would have you line the sleeves, which makes for a very nice finish, but I wanted to maintain the drape of the fabric and not add bulk, so I just hemmed the edges of the slit and finished the neckline edge of the sleeve piece with bias tape. I included lingerie guards as described here . Such helpful little things those are. ...

July was a busy month for our family. We moved back to the States and have been busy getting settled in our new community. It's been a good move so far but the changes and adjustments have consumed a lot of time and energy. I am very grateful to once again have a dedicated sewing space and have that all unpacked. There is still some arranging to do and things to get to make the space as efficient as I'd like it. That will come in time. After not sewing anything for six weeks, I was honestly a little stumped by the question of what to sew first. My older daughter needed some more warm-weather pajamas and I could do that with stash fabric, so that's what I did. I used two Ottobre patterns for this set, both of which were designed for knits. To make them work for this woven poplin, I sized up before cutting and then had to do some tweaking during assembly. The top is Ottobre 3/2011 #33. I like the envelope-style neckline and I loved doing the bias binding. The yell...

Much like I did for my son , I quickly made a handful of T-shirts for my daughter to meet her clothing needs for the season. They were all fast and easy. Ottobre 3/2013 #32 Ottobre 4/2012 #28 Ottobre 1/2014 #28  (I thought I could just eyeball that button placement. Yes, they are crooked and no, I probably won't fix it). Ottobre 3/2013 #39 (Birthday shirt!) My sewing room has been packed up for a couple of weeks now. We're moving next week. So, this space will be quiet for awhile (intentionally this time!) until I get my new sewing space unpacked and set up. 

My son didn't have major wardrobe needs this season. A quick assessment showed that a few T-shirts would do it. Last week was a busy week and T-shirts were about all I could handle in the sewing room. I finished four (from two very basic Ottobre patterns and stash fabric) and hemmed a pair of pants with holes in the knees - one project for each of the weekdays. The navy stripes are fused and then topstitched. I just eeked this out from an old T-shirt of mine. The neckband had to be pieced. I love this little gecko. It's from an Ottobre pattern. Back view: Finally, a new age number T-shirt. I like the baseball style shirt, but the sleeves ended up an awkward length. The pattern had narrow bands at the hem. I left them off and added length to compensate, but it isn't quite right. Still wearable, though.

More spring kids' clothes! It sure has been nice having these clothes done and ready for the warm weather. Beautiful new clothes that are ready to go make warm, sunny days all that much nicer. These two pieces are for my older daughter. I modified Jalie 2908 slightly for these cuffed capris - straightened and shortened the legs and curved the waistband. Sadly, I don't have a picture of them on my daughter, but they fit great. The fabric is pretty lightweight and stretchy. It looks like denim, but my daughter finds these more comfortable than regular denim would be. These were actually a pretty quick project. The fabric was easy to work with and I just used regular thread and a standard straight stitch for the topstitching. I'm happy with how all the details came out. The insides are PINK! Pink fly guard, pocket bags, and waistband binding. I really like the flower print on the fabric also - a little abstract and stylized, but still feminine and fun. It...

Today was a beautiful warm, sunny day - just how I imagined late May would feel back in March when I was sewing these pieces. This year I intentionally sewed spring/summer clothes for my kids ahead of the season. So, I have a number of things to post, but will likely not have too much to say about them (March was a long time ago!). These cropped pants were supposed to be for my older daughter, but they turned out much too small. Happily, they were just the right size for my younger daughter. The pattern is Ottobre 4/2013 #16 and I used an "engineer" stripe cotton (leftover from these pants ). I played with the front pockets a little - cutting them on the bias and inserting a strip of rickrack. I like the small feminine touch it adds. Most of the waistbands I've finished lately have included bias tape. I think it is less bulky and the pop of color and clean finish are fun. The waistband closes with a button, chosen by my daughter. The snap on these jeans frus...

It's been awhile since I've used an Oliver + S pattern . I bought this Seashore Sundress pattern quite awhile ago and am happy that I finally made use of it. It was as enjoyable to sew as every other Oliver + S pattern I've used . This sundress is for my older daughter. The fabric is a lightweight twill that I picked up on clearance around the same time as I bought the pattern. As it turns out, it is a Lisette fabric, created by the same designer as the patterns. I thought the stripes might not be ideal for this pattern since I didn't have enough fabric to do much matching, but I'm pretty happy with it after all. I finished the facings with bias binding and added a tag for fun. The instructions are both good and thorough, but the techniques used are not advanced, so this would be a good beginner pattern. My daughter likes the small pockets in the skirt, but they are not very noticeable. I had absolutely no length to spare, so I used bias tape as a ...

It's that time of year - the seasonal change and the ensuing wardrobe upheaval that it brings. As always, my oldest child has the least number of suitable warm weather clothing items, so my spring/summer kid sewing begins with her. These two pieces were very quick to make and turned out really well. Both she and I are pleased. And, bonus - the fabrics for both are leftover from other projects! The skirt is made from fabric I purchased for this shirt . I also made this shirt from it. There is none left. The top is made from the fabric of this dress - using the border print left some strangely shaped remnants and the pieces for this top fit them just right. The pattern for the top is Kwik Sew 3169 - one I've used multiple times. I like this short-sleeved version the best. For the skirt, I graded up the measurements for this twirly skirt initially made for my younger daughter. I started assembling both of these after my daughter went to bed one night and she had ne...

Strange to be posting a sundress now, I know. I made this in July, but haven't gotten around the taking pictures or writing about it until now. I admire those who can blog in real time. Mine gets pushed to the bottom of the list most of the time. This is Simplicity 4721 , a pattern that I don't remember buying at all. My copy has a bright orange "SALE $0.99" sticker slapped on the front, but that isn't even triggering any memories. Anyway, it seemed like a good choice when I was perusing the pattern stash for a summer dress for my daughter. I wanted something other than the full, gathered skirt I often gravitate toward. I started with a size 4 and added gobs of length - some to the bodice and more distributed through the skirt. It looks like the narrow straps on the envelope models' dresses are falling off their shoulders. That could probably be fixed by moving them toward the center front more, but I also wanted a little more coverage. So, I changed...

I really wouldn't describe my style as trendy. It takes some time for my eyes to get used to something new and different. If it sticks around for awhile, then I might adopt it. Case in point: the maxi dress. I really didn't like them at first ("first" being what - three or four years ago?) and I still don't like many of them that I see. But, there have been some that I admire - enough to make me consider trying it out. I actually chose to make a maxi dress because of the fabric I was interested in moving from the fabric closet to my clothes closet. I really wanted a dress out of this breton stripe knit that I purchased last year on a trip to New York. Initially, I was planning to make something similar to this or this but then I found a dress so much like what I was planning to make on a clearance rack at Old Navy for less than $3.00. Hard to beat that! So, then I needed to find a different idea for this fabric. Then I started seeing several sewing blogge...

I've been wanting to get this pattern and fabric together for awhile now. The fabric is from my last trip to New York. I used the pattern ( New Look 6071 ) one other time and knew that I'd like to try it again. This is a very comfortable, easy-to-wear dress. It will be very cool on hot days. The cross-over detail on the front is interesting, but really isn't complicated to do. I was surprised how quickly I was able to finish this dress. The neckline is quite low, so I added the modesty panel. A fabric close-up: This is a poly ITY jersey. It was wonderfully agreeable to work with. The neckline didn't stretch out of shape even though I didn't stabilize it with clear elastic. I think I'll be wearing this dress a lot this summer!

Most of the summer clothes I've sewn for myself in the last couple of years have been dresses and skirts. I wear dresses and skirts more than shorts or pants, so that's been working out well, but there are times where shorts really are a better choice. And I don't know about you, but I find it even harder to locate shorts worth buying than pants. So, my delight with the success of these pants was compounded when I realized that the pattern would also work really well for shorts. When I made my son these pants , I was really impressed with the fabric and almost regretted not saving it for myself (but I'm trying hard not to do that "saving the fabric" thing). Turns out, the remaining remnant was enough for a pair of shorts for me. The stretch twill has a really nice brushed surface and from my son's pants I know that it washes and wears well. I did some triple topstitching on these also, just like his pants. Other than here on the front pockets, it ...

I'm not sure if I should say this dress was a long time coming, or a really quick sew. I cut it out and just started the sewing at the end of last summer. I didn't complete it before the weather became too cold to wear it, so I bagged it up, set it aside and moved on. When I recently pulled it out, it didn't take me long to finish it up. The pattern is Simplicity 2584 and I really like it. I combined various parts of the views to get what I wanted - drawstring dress style like View A, sleeveless with the scalloped slit facing like View D. The neckline edges are even at the top. The dress is just not on the dressform straight here. You know that I love piping, so I couldn't resist this opportunity to use it here. For a few years I really didn't wear much navy blue, but now I'm really liking it a lot again. Here I like the classic red, white and blue combination. The scalloped neckline piece is sewn on top of the dress and then a facing is applied ...

On my last trip to Fabricland, I was determined not to buy any new fabric other than what was on my list to finish projects in progress. BUT...I just couldn't pass up this yellow tie-dyed rayon at $3.00/meter. It was a great deal and I really liked it. I knew that if I didn't get it, I would regret it later. To assuage my guilt about my lack of willpower and inability to keep my word when it comes to fabric purchases, I kept the cut minimal with a simple summer top in mind. It doesn't get any simpler than the  free downloadable Colette Sorbetto . Many, many other bloggers have made this top and I don't have much new to add to the reviews. The main thing I needed to change was the length. From looking at the pattern, I could tell that it was going to be a midriff-baring top on me if I didn't change it. So, I added 1.25" in length at the waist right off the bat. Then I did a quick mock-up. The armhole was much too high and tight, the bust dart was too hig...

It's that time of year again. My oldest daughter needs shorts and tops! A few months ago I emptied a box of clothes that I had in storage. They were clothes that I wore after having babies, before I was back to my usual size. I don't need them anymore, so some were donated and some were converted into clothes for my daughter. Both t-shirt and shorts made from two old tops. The picot elastic from stash was a good match. Two more tops cut up and re-purposed here. I used fold-over elastic around the neck and sleeve hems. The striped fabric is so stretchy that I had to staystitch the neck edge before applying the elastic. Then it had just the right amount of stretch to get the elastic on. After it was applied, I removed the staystitching (it's probably not actually staystitching then, is it?) And, then a different style top also made from an old top of mine. This is Ottobre 3-2012-17, a knit top with ruffled sleeves. Those sleeve ruffles are gathered wit...

This batch of simple summer clothes finishes with a very basic T-shirt dress and leggings. I had every intention of adding "something" to the dress to make it a little more interesting. Maybe another applique? Or some novelty pockets on the skirt? But, all the sewing I did on this was done in tiny bits of time between other tasks. Stitch the shoulder seams. Reload the washing machine. Attach the neckband. Get the pan of cookies out of the oven. Gather the sleeves. Settle a sibling squabble. Insert sleeves. Check the clothes on the line. And on it went... That really isn't an ideal way to sew for me. I had the dress complete and then remembered that I was going to add something. I still could, I suppose. But, I won't. Because it feels done to me and I have a very hard time going back to fix something that feels finished. Silly, I know. But, it's the truth. The dress is a very modified Kwik Sew 2918 . The jersey is very stretchy in both directions, so I didn...

For the top, I used Kwik Sew 2918 (heavily modified). I was inspired by this top . Or was it this one ? Hard to remember... The jersey fabric was dirt cheap when I picked it up a couple of years ago. I intended to use it for muslins because I wasn't so sure I liked the color. It did serve the muslin purpose well a couple of times, but I recently noticed that it matched this quilting cotton that I had in my stash and an outfit possibility was born. The shorts are New Look 6884 , again lengthened to meet school dress code approval. Next Up:  Simple Summer Stuff, Part 3 (of 3. For now...)

I made this top before I made the swimming suit , but was hoping to make a skirt to go with it before I posted it. Now I see that it just isn't going to happen. I suppose there is always next summer. The pattern is my well-loved Butterick 3344 and I made this same version in white earlier this summer. I didn't like the bias-cut of the white one and the back facing keeps flipping out, so I changed both of those things. There is plenty of stretch with it cut on the straight grain rather than the bias. The back of the neck opening is finished with bias tape. The arm holes are finished the same way. This fabric has been in my stash for a few years.  I purchased it as a remnant, so there wasn't much of it to work with. I'm not sure what the fiber content is, but it is a jersey and the stripes are created with a burn-out pattern. I underlined the brown fabric with an ivory knit fabric that I'm also unsure of the fiber content, but it was also a remnant about th...

My daughter is in the middle of swimming lessons now and her other suit was looking too small, so I made her a new one last week. Kwik Sew 2605 worked well for me the last time , so I used it again, this time making the two-piece version (so much easier for bathroom breaks). I cut a size five and the only change I made was to take it in ½” on each side of the bottom. The racer-back is as nice as I thought it would be - no straps falling off the shoulders. I considered using a double needle for the hems, but went with the triple zigzag instead. Sewing this suit felt pretty putzy while I was doing it - quartering all the elastics and suit openings, getting it all lined up, serging the elastic on, etc.   But, really, it didn’t take very long. It was faster than shopping for a suit, I’m sure. There are no less than 14 things I would still like to sew for summer.   There isn’t that much summer left and I’m working on some window treatments again now. Soon I’m going to have ...